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Any guy who stands 6'6", weighs 260 lbs, and runs a 40-yard dash in the 4.6 range is going to get my attention. Sure, he may play for little Murray State of the Ohio Valley Conference in the FCS, but he's been wreaking havoc on the football field since the day he stepped foot on campus. He really broke out in 2008 and established himself as a dominating force, registering 63 TT, 22 TFL, 12 sacks, and 2 FF, and earning First team All-OVC honors in the process. He followed up his gaudy 2008 season with an equally impressive 2009 campaign, registering 64 TT, 19.5 TFL, 11 sacks, and 3 FF; he is nominated for the Buck Buchanan Award (given to the most outstanding defensive player in the FCS -- past winners include Chris Gocong, Jared Allen, Rashean Mathis, Edgerton Hartwell, and Dexter Coakley).

Obviously, the knock against Lane will be level of competition and how raw he is as a NFL DE prospect. Nevertheless, you don't put up those kinds of stats, with that kind of height/weight and speed combination, without having some kind of talent that warrants evaluation by pro scouts and general managers. Combine Lane's production with his eye-popping measurables, and you have a possible sleeper in the 2010 draft. I've seen him ranked as high as #5 on NFL Draft Scout's list of DE prospects for the 2010 draft, whereas ESPN.com has yet to fully evaluate him (ranked #35 among DEs) and NFL Draft Countdown has him at #21. Whatever the case, Austen Lane is at least a name to remember as the Senior Bowl, NFL Draft Combine, and 2010 NFL Draft draw closer. I really wish I was a scout or worked in some player personnel capacity for an NFL organization so I could obtain some film of this guy and watch him play.

What are the opinions about this guy around the boards? Are there even any, or is he that far under the radar? Has anyone seen him play or heard anything specific from talent evaluators? As I mentioned above, his measurables and production make him a very intriguing prospect, at least on paper, so I'm trying to gather as much information as possible.

I did a report on him last week, but it got deleted when the forum crashed

He's impressive physically. He's a fluid athlete, and he actually looked like a full 6'6, if not 6'7 when I got to watch him. He has experience dropping into to zone coverage, and he looks comfortable doing so. He looks like a guy that could be a DE in a 4-3 or an OLB in a 3-4. 2 issues I have with him are the level of competition he played, and his lack of pass-rush moves........they kind of go hand in hand too. Since he plays in the FCS he is just more physically gifted than the players he goes up against, and because of that he didn't really have to develop anything more than a bull-rush because that bull-rush was very successful. It has stunted his growth as a pass-rusher IMO. When I watched him against N.C State he had his struggles against Jeraill McCuller, a guy that is a fringe draftable prospect. McCuller outweighs Lane by 60 pounds, so Lane's bull-rush wasn't nearly as effective. His lack of pass-rush technique was evident in this game. Although I have to say that he showed tremendous athleticism throughout the game by either showing good depth in zone drops, or pursuing the ball sideline to sideline.

He is an intriguing prospect physically, but he needs work. With some more coaching he could really become special. At this point I think he's an early 3rd rounder in such a deep DE class, but if he tests as well as he is rumored to by running a mid 4.6 40 at 265 pounds, and displaying good athleticism and agility in workouts, he could go as early as the 2nd round. He's a sleeper now, but not for long.

Thanks for this, I have been looking out for this player and peoples thoughts on him.

Would he play as a RDE or LDE in a 4-3 scheme ?

I wonder how his physical skill set would translate to 3-4 pass rushing outside linebacker. I don't know if he is fluid enough to handle coverage assignments or not...maybe some posters that are more familar with Lane can help out. I am wondering if he could possibly be a prospect that project similar to Jason Taylor.

Thanks for this, I have been looking out for this player and peoples thoughts on him.

Would he play as a RDE or LDE in a 4-3 scheme ?

I wonder how his physical skill set would translate to 3-4 pass rushing outside linebacker. I don't know if he is fluid enough to handle coverage assignments or not...maybe some posters that are more familar with Lane can help out. I am wondering if he could possibly be a prospect that project similar to Jason Taylor.

I got the feeling that he could do it. When watching him, the first player that came to mind was in fact a bulkier version of Jason Taylor. He's a very good athlete, and he looks comfortable dropping back into coverage. He carries his frame very well. In terms of coverage assignments, I'm not sure, because often times when he did drop into coverage he would fall off of the screen, so it was tough to evaluate how sound his assignments were. But, when I saw him against NC State there were a couple times that he dropped into coverage to QB spy Russell Wilson. He did a nice job of limiting Wilson's opportunities when he did pull the ball down and scramble. I would suspect that 3-4 teams will test him out, and see what he can do, but he looks capable of playing the position.

In regards to the original question, when I saw him play he lined up as a LDE, and I would suspect that if he played in a 4-3 that that's where he would play.

Definitely not. Pierre-Paul is a consensus top-30 overall prospect, whereas Lane seems to be flying under the radar and might not even be among the top 30 DE prospects on a given team's draft board (although I doubt that's the case -- I said it more for effect).

He's just a guy I wish I could see more of so I could form my own opinion, rather than observing only his raw physical abilities and overall production and having to read reports of other draftniks... you just don't find 6'6" 260 lbs DEs who run 4.6 40-yard dashes. The guy's an imposing physical specimen and an absolute athletic freak who is going relatively unnoticed because he plays at Murray State.

Yeah, I have to be honest, I haven't come away overly impressed with either Pierre-Paul or Selvie when I have had a chance to watch USF. Pierre-Paul has pretty good explosiveness at the snap but he definitely could use another year of experience at the college level to gain some bulk (he looks pretty thin, could be his long arms) and polish his pass rushing technique and moves, and improve against the run.

Yeah, I have to be honest, I haven't come away overly impressed with either Pierre-Paul or Selvie when I have had a chance to watch USF. Pierre-Paul has pretty good explosiveness at the snap but he definitely could use another year of experience at the college level to gain some bulk (he looks pretty thin, could be his long arms) and polish his pass rushing technique and moves, and improve against the run.

Selvie is as good as he will ever be which is why his stock is falling. P-P is green as spring grass and may never reach his potential which is why his stock is stuck somewhere in the second round. Same for Lane except lower because of the tiny school effect. I would rate Lane slightly higher because he seems to have more of a guided missile quality where P-P is more frenetic and confused.